Posts for: August, 2016

Gum disease is a dental ailment that affects almost half of all Americans to some degree. Lack of regular dental care and failure to keep appointments with the dentist make a patient more susceptible to this condition. It’s important that you don’t ignore the signs of gum disease—immediate periodontal treatment by a Braintree, MA dentist at Dr. George Salem and Associates, PC is crucial to saving your teeth.

What Is Gum Disease?
Gum disease is an infection that weakens the gums and the teeth that are supported by them. It happens progressively over a number of years—bad bacterium grows around the gumline and eventually attacks the bone tissue. The types of gum disease are:

Gingivitis (mild inflammation of the gums that can easily be reversed in most cases with prompt treatment).

Periodontitis (a more advanced form of gum disease that can lead to tooth loss and requires aggressive treatment).

Signs That Shouldn’t Be Ignored
The key to treating any form of gum disease is catching it as early as possible. There are a few important signs of gum disease that you should pay attention to and discuss with your Braintree dentist as soon as possible:

Gums bleed frequently when you brush your teeth.

Gums look red and are sensitive to the touch.

Pockets appearing around the teeth (gums separating from the enamel).

Bad breath and sour taste in the mouth throughout the day.

Getting the Help That You Need
The symptoms of gum disease can be stopped by a periodontist. It is possible to save your teeth, even in the advanced stages. The first step is usually an appointment for a scaling and root planning, which is a very deep cleaning of the gumline. If more help is needed, periodontal surgery or laser treatment can be performed to clear the gums of bad tissue and allow new healthy tissue to grow. Bone grafting may also be used to replace and strengthen the bone tissue.

Call for an Exam
The first step to resolving an issue with gum disease is to visit your dentist for a cleaning and checkup appointment. Call a Braintree dentist at Dr. George Salem and Associates, PC at (781) 843-0660 today.

Academy Award-winning actress Kathy Bates knows how important it is to present your best face to the world — and one of the most important features of that face is a beaming smile. But there came a point when she noticed something was a little off. “I've always had good teeth, but it seemed to me as I was getting older that they weren't looking as good,” Kathy explained in a recent interview with Dear Doctor magazine.

That's when she decided it was time to take action. Kathy had orthodontic treatment when she was in her fifties, and she keeps her smile bright with tooth whitening treatments. She uses a kit provided by her dentist with a safe, effective whitening solution.

Of course, a bright, healthy smile looks great anywhere — whether you're on the red carpet or “off the grid.” And you don't have to be a Hollywood star to have professional whitening treatments. In fact, teeth whitening is one of the most popular and affordable cosmetic treatments modern dentistry offers.

The basic options for professional teeth whitening include in-office bleaching or take-home kits. Both types of dentist-supervised treatments offer a safe and effective means of getting a brighter smile; the main difference is how long they take to produce results. A single one-hour treatment in the office can make your teeth up to ten shades lighter — a big difference! To get that same lightening with at-home trays, it would take several days. On the plus side, the take-home kit is less expensive, and can achieve the same results in a bit more time.

It's important to note that not all teeth can be whitened with these treatments. Some teeth have intrinsic (internal) stains that aren't affected by external agents like bleaches. Also, teeth that have been restored (with bonding or veneers, for example) generally won't change color. And you can't necessarily whiten your teeth to any degree: Every tooth has a maximum whiteness, and adding more bleach won't lighten it beyond that level. Most people, however, find that teeth whitening treatments produce noticeable and pleasing results.

What about those off-the-shelf kits or in-the-mall kiosks? They might work… or they might not. But one thing's for sure: Without a dentist's supervision, you're on your own. That's the main reason why you should go with a pro if you're considering teeth whitening. We not only ensure that your treatment is safe — we can also give you a realistic idea of what results to expect, and we will make sure that other dental problems aren't keeping you from having a great-looking smile.

Since the late 19th Century, dentists have used established protocols to successfully prevent and treat tooth decay. But there've been changes to this approach the last few years to improve its effectiveness, changes we now refer to as Minimally Invasive Dentistry or MID.

The older approach for treating dental caries (tooth decay) follows the protocols established by Dr. G.V. Black, considered the father of modern dentistry. Black advocated removing not only decayed structure but also some of the healthier but vulnerable portions of a tooth, to avoid further decay and make the tooth easier to clean. This resulted in larger fillings, although they've become smaller as dental techniques have advanced.

MID, on the other hand, aims to remove as little tooth structure as possible while still effectively treating and preventing future decay. To achieve that goal we begin first with a complete assessment of a patient's individual decay risk, known as Caries Management By Risk Assessment (CAMBRA).

With CAMBRA, we're looking at other factors besides individual tooth health: a patient's hygiene, lifestyle and dietary habits; the types and amount of bacteria present; and the quality of saliva flow, needed to neutralize mouth acid. With these the results we develop a customized prevention and treatment strategy.

MID also focuses on detecting dental caries as early as possible. Besides traditional x-rays, we're beginning to use other methods like dental microscopes, laser fluorescence, infrared photography or optical scanning. Early detection leads to early intervention, and with techniques that are much less invasive than the traditional approach.

The new approach also changes how we repair decayed teeth. We're increasingly using air abrasion, a technology that uses fine particles in a pressurized air stream to remove softer decayed tooth material and less healthy structure than the traditional dental drill. We're also using composite resin and other advanced materials for filings: these tooth-colored materials are stronger than previous versions and are quickly taking the place of metal amalgam, requiring less structural removal to accommodate them.

MID's core principles are early disease detection, proactive prevention and treatment with less structural removal. With this enhanced approach to effective dentistry, we're keeping your teeth healthy with minimal discomfort, lower costs and less long-term impact.